With Conversation
by Phoenixfire123
Summary: With a simple conversation, thoughts and memories resurface within Remus Lupin's mind on a time long lost. He cannot push them back. Hogwarts offers too many reminders this year to make that possible.


**Disclaimer: Fanfiction, not the real thing.**

**A/N:** This is something that had been on my mind for a while after reading Prisoner of Azkaban again. There are other similar stories and I thank them for added inspiration for this story. This is my first Harry Potter fanfiction in about seven years, so I am not sure how the characterization came out. The time of this story is shortly after the start of the school year in POA.

And if anyone who keeps tabs on my other chaptered stories I will have an update soon. This just barged in and would not let my concentrate on anything else until I wrote it.

* * *

"You know, we should continue our endeavor." Fred spoke to his twin with a wide grin on his face. He said this as he stuffed some worn out parchment securely in his pocket.

"What would that endeavor be?" George replied, but the same grin crossed his face, showing he knew exactly what the other was thinking about.

Fred patted his pocket and continued the line of thought both had reached. "You know, where we try to find out as much as possible on our forerunners of mischief, the Marauders."

"We've asked every teacher…."

"But as every year, we have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor to make our inquiries too." Both redheads nodded and headed toward Professor Lupin's office.

* * *

Remus looked up from the Daily Prophet when he heard the door open. He threw it disdainfully to the side. The constant reminder of what was lost with Sirius' escape was unwelcomed in his consciousness. He smoothed his expression over to one of neutrality and addressed the two newcomers.

"Fred, George, what may I help you with?"

"Well, we were wondering…"

"If you had any information pertaining to…"

"The Marauders," both twins finished together.

Remus had no idea what his expression reflected in the next few seconds. He did feel his face grow slack, and shock most likely showed in his eyes. No, he could not have heard that question right. But if anyone in this generation questioned on them, and had interest, it would be the next generation of trouble makers.

"Where did you learn about them?" His voice came out calmly enough in consideration of the whirlwind of emotions that reemerged after he just tried to cast them away.

"Oh, Peeves mentioned them in passing once as former pranksters." George stated smoothly. Remus detected a lie, nevertheless, did not further question it.

"We asked McGonagall and she said they were some of the most brilliant yet disruptive students she ever taught…."

"Flitwick said they were charming and the ones who always tried for a good laugh…."

"Dumbledore told us they were friends with impeccable loyalty."

Loyalty. The word danced in the werewolf's mind with a bitter connotation attached. 'Were' was the key word there. The meaning of loyalty was forcibly pushed out for another, no less soothing, thought. James and Sirius had the habit of finishing each other's thoughts and schemes. It was never with the flawless simultaneously the twins offered, though he was reminded just the same. Like brothers, they _were_ like brothers.

"We even asked Snape once…"

Remus bit back the smirk at the thought. He could imagine Severus' response to someone else bringing the Marauders up to him. The look was probably similar to one where he learned Remus got the Defense Against the Dark Arts job; also, Remus thought with a frown, a high chance of how the Potions Master looked at Harry.

"We will never attempt something like that again. Scary sight."

'I would imagine,' the former Marauder thought wryly.

"Well?" The two spoke together again when it became clear their professor was not going to provide an answer.

The thirty-three year old stood up quietly and made his way over to the window. Currently, he looked older beyond his years, not from his grey hair or shabby robes.

"Why do you presume past tense?" He asked quietly, voice lost in his memories. His friends faces with his own, young and carefree, flashed through his mind along with the laughter that surrounded their school meetings.

"Oh," Fred spoke affronted. He did not expect questions thrown back at them. All the professors they asked before just smiled and gave a short reply. There was no room to continue questioning. Then optimism shoved the impatience for answers away. He saw George give equal curiosity and hope. Maybe, they will get a fuller answer then before.

"Everyone gave the answer in past tense; we simply presumed that was fact." George answered. The eagerness in his voice to be proven otherwise was clear. Imagine if their idols were alive.

"It is safe to say past tense is true." Remus sighed inaudibly as the revelation came back to his mind. Past tense, his enjoyment and contentment, their adventures: it was all in past tense. He stood alone now. So caught up in his disappointment in the stark truth he did not catch the similar looks on either Fred or George's faces.

"I know- of- them." He continued. His students beamed at him and he took that as a sign he should continue before the inevitable question of what he knew was asked.

"It is true they were brilliant and disruptive" Brilliant- he thought of his friends and accomplishing their Animagus forms at the age of fifteen. Remus thought of his own continuous studying until he was one of the top in the class. How it contrasted with James and Sirius, how their brilliance always went toward mischief more than anything else in the school years.

The best course, Remus concluded, was to confirm what they already knew while he thought of what to say. Something that will not persist in more questions or give away that he had inside information.

"Charming depends on who you ask." A tug at the corner of his mouth almost gave away to the young professor smiling. His thoughts jumped to Snape, and also to Lily, who held them in disdain for several years.

Light amber eyes closed, and Remus forced his breathing to become steady. "And yes, the Marauders most loyal friends to each other you can find."

Before he could stop the memories, they came to the forefront of his mind. They were two of the most dramatic memories and moments in his life. The first was when his friends discovered his secret, how the looks of sympathy and understanding crossed their faces. Expressions he convinced himself were hiding the true feelings of disgust. The second one was of when he looked at the Daily Prophet a couple days after James and Lily died. When he learned of what Sirius did and that Peter was also dead.

Those few days, from Halloween to when he received the news marked the end of the Marauders. The end of what he thought he knew. The loyalty and trust about a decade old deteriorated into dust. There were times, shortly after the events happened, where he wondered if any of it existed. Remus had to convince himself that was a lie; at the time back then, the friendship was real. He simply had to accept something went terribly wrong in the tides of war.

Subtle memories started to bubble up now. He pressed his forehead to the window to try and suppress them. The memories always made him weary. How James had nearly tackled him to the ground when giving the news he had been made Quidditch Captain. How it was a more subdued, mature response when James delivered the news of becoming Head Boy. How Peter sometimes stayed hidden in the broken cupboard in his rat form after the full moon was done to make sure Remus had a safe journey back to the castle with Madam Pomfrey. It was hard to think about Sirius, wondering if he knew his friend at all. Every time Remus could think of him without overwhelming bitterness was the boisterous laugh Sirius used to have and the fact he will do the most outlandish things to cheer his friends up.

Remus stomped the memories out for hopefully the last time today. It was hard. Back at school, where so many adventures happened. He saw Harry again, and now Sirius was on the loose. Everything he confronted this year brought the past back to the forefront.

"Their best prank..." He thought carefully and smiled. One of the first honest smiles appeared on his face. "It was on Halloween. The pumpkins were charmed to explode and spray paint everywhere, specifically large quantities at the Slytherin table. A fog covered the whole Great Hall, and all the plates, utensils and goblets sang profanity of various kinds throughout the meal when touched." The smile grew on Remus's face. The meticulous task of charming all the utensils, pumpkins was worthwhile.

Halloween. The smile faltered. No. He would not think of the end. It was their favorite holiday for trouble before... the thought never finished in his mind.

"Brilliant." One of the twins said. Remus was still partly submerged in memories he did not tell which one.

"Now we know what we have to top." The other said.

He turned back to the redhead twins. "I am sure you will." Remus did not want to answer any other questions. After the continued silence, both Fred and George- 'thankfully,' he thought- made the decision not to ask further.

"Thank you professor…" George had a familiar mischievous expression on his face.

"You have given us great ideas for future mischief making endeavors." Fred finished. They both gave a mock salute and turned to leave the office.

"That was more detailed information then we were given before." The twins' conversation floated back to Remus as they made to the exit.

"I got the feeling we were eluded to more information."

"I know, too bad they are no longer around."

Voices on what it would be like to meet the Marauders eventually faded. Remus stood cemented to the ground by the window. 'You just talked to one of them.' The words drifted across his mind but did not dare speak them out loud. Not from the fear of being overheard by anyone one, the spoken words will admit what he was connected to. The connection was destroyed years ago. He went back to his desk and sat down just as wearily as he stood up. His head went to a familiar position buried in his hands. 'But it is the truth. We are in the past. I am a Marauder, but the Marauders are only there as a group, and we are gone.'

* * *

**A/N:** I hope that was at least somewhat enjoyable ^^. It is not as emotionally deep as I first envisioned it. I think Remus would have been continuously reminded by the littlest things of the old days but will not ponder too deeply over what he lost. That would be too painful for him. At least, that is my reasoning with not being the best angst writer.

p.s. I am not great with prank ideas. So the Marauders real best prank will be something more original.


End file.
